An experience like no other August 22, 2022
By A student (Wellesley College) - abroad from 03/02/2022 to 06/20/2022 with
Seoul National University: Seoul - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
I learned so much about Korean culture, and I learned how to budget, live, and explore alone. It was amazing living in Seoul, and I would definitely recommend anyone to go.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Some professors were not as on top of it because we were foreigners, but it was super super rare. Most of my professors were awesome! |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I did not live on campus however. I found my own housing (share house). |
| * Food: |
Campus food is really good, there are enough options for most diets, and very cheap |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It's hard to do this when the culture is so homogenous and exclusionary, but I still learned a lot and had fun. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Cheap and fast health services on and off campus |
| * Safety: |
Safest city I have ever been to. One of the safest places in the world. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
I loved SNU's courses, campus, and foreign student culture, and I met some of my close friends through the buddy program! |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Wellesley assumed that we would be eating on campus every meal, but this isn't possible with cafeteria and class conflicts, commute, and weekend meals (as campus isn't always open). The food off campus is definitely more expensive. Additionally housing isn't easy to get on campus, and off campus is more expensive plus you spend more money on commuting. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget a per month plan on housing and food, then spend the rest. Food can be really cheap is you make sure to eat local foods. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | No |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Exchange |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | To budget my food expenses more |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
